1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a device for connecting one object to another object, and, more specifically, to a device that can be readily adapted to connect footwear members to several types of common recreational or sporting apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many situations where it is desirable to have one object coupled to another object in a manner that allows the objects to attach, unconnect, and then reengage with each other. For example, there are many sporting activities where a connection like the one just described could be employed. The sports that would benefit most from the current invention are those that involve a participant's feet being linked to a separate sporting apparatus. With these types of activities, the user's feet are usually supported by some sort of footwear member, such as a shoe or boot that has been specially designed for the individual requirements of each sport. Examples of such activities include water and snow skiing, several types of skating, and snowboarding.
The present invention is particularly applicable to the sport of snowboarding as it relates to the sport of skateboarding. Snowboarding is very similar to skateboarding and a large number of people who snowboard also ride or have ridden skateboards. Many of the tricks or maneuvers found in the sport of snowboarding are directly based on tricks that are performed on skateboards. For those who ride skateboards there has always been a desire to execute the same type of maneuvers on their snowboards as on their skateboards, but not all of the tricks found in skateboarding have been able to cross over into snowboarding.
Although snowboarding and skateboarding are incredibly similar, there is one major difference between the two sports. The way that the participant's feet interact with each type of board in these two activities is completely different. On a skateboard the user's feet are not fixed to the board in an immovable manner. As a result of this, there is almost an unlimited amount of tricks available for a skateboarder to perform since the board is free to flip, spin, and or rotate in any direction relative to the rider. A skateboarder also has the option of removing either one or both of his feet from the board while riding to even further increase the variety of tricks he can execute. Because of the free connection of the rider's feet to the board, the amount of tricks or maneuvers that a skateboarder can perform is not limited by his equipment but only by his individual ability and imagination to invent new combinations.
In direct contrast to how a skateboard is ridden, a snowboarder has traditionally ridden with his feet fixed to the board in an immovable manner. The majority of snowboards are equipped with what are known in the art as conventional strap bindings. Although this type of binding can take on a multitude of forms with many different constructions they all share the same limiting characteristic. Strap bindings are designed to be solidly mounted to the snowboard deck and are not intended to separate from the board or permit the user's footwear members to release and then reattach while riding.
In addition to the conventional strap snowboard bindings, in recent years a variety of different step-in binding systems have been developed. These types of bindings are very similiar to the strap binding designs, but instead of straps some kind of mechanical operator is employed to secure the user's footwear into the bindings. Although in some areas of performance many of the step-in binding systems offer advantages over the strap binding designs, they still share the same limiting characteristic of their counterparts. Step-in snowboard bindings are also designed to affix the rider's footwear members to the board in a manner that is not intended to release and then reattach while one is riding.
In addition to the various strap and step-in binding systems that are widely in use, several forms of hybrid binding systems exist within the art. These systems aim to solve a variety of the different problems or drawbacks that are associated with all snowboard bindings in general. The hybrid bindings are most often concerned with issues like making the bindings easier and more convenient for the rider to use and actually do not function that much differently from the strap and step-in binding systems. There is also a category of snowboard bindings that have been designed to release from the board in some manner or another, but most of these systems are intended to operate like ski bindings with safety as their main consideration. There is yet to be a snowboard binding system designed to completely separate and then reattach to the board while one is riding in order to increase the number and type of tricks that can be performed.
With bindings that do not separate from the snowboard, it is possible to execute a limited amount of maneuvers where one removes his foot from the board. In order for these tricks to be performed, a rider has to either unstrap or disengage one of his bindings. The only option available for the rider is to unfasten his rear foot because at least one foot must stay attached to the snowboard in order for the rider to be able to steer the board and this is most easily accomplished with the front foot still attached.
With his front foot engaged with the front binding and his rear foot disengaged from the rear binding the rider can then proceed towards a jump or obstacle. He can hit the jump and perform a one-footed trick. The rider then has to land with his rear foot out of the rear binding and only resting on the snowboard deck. After landing the trick, the rider has to stop and replace his rear foot back into the rear binding before he can continue to ride like normal.
There are several drawbacks to this method of performing one-footed tricks. First of all, it is rather difficult to steer the snowboard with only one foot engaged in a binding. It is also somewhat dangerous to ride a snowboard when one foot is immovably fixed to the board and one foot is free. Also, the option of removing both feet while in the air to perform even more difficult tricks is not a possibility because of the fact that at least one foot has to remain attached to the snowboard in order for the rider to be able to control the snowboard.
With the bindings that are currently available for use with snowboards, the amount and types of tricks available for snowboarders to perform has been greatly limited. For riders looking to be able to execute more tricks with their snowboards there exists a need for a binding system that is designed to permit either one or both of the rider's feet to become completely separated and then reattach to the board while riding.